Photo by Eric Keith / St. Joseph News-Press / Purchase this photo

A missed goal meant wet shoes for the young men playing soccer at the Riverside Road complex Sunday afternoon. Floodwater from the Platte River backed up and surrounded the fields, leaving the playing surface dry but necessitating a wading expedition behind the goals.

Like a house guest overstaying his welcome, flood waters will stay in Northwest Missouri for a few extra days.

A strong thunderstorm swept across the Midland Empire on Sunday, dumping rain just as rivers had begun to fall after hitting their crests.

The Missouri River crested at 24.53 feet Sunday — roughly 7.5 feet above flood stage — and was expected to fall to about 23 feet by this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. As water from the storm flows through, the weather service forecasts rivers to rise again, this time to a level higher than before. The Missouri River is expected to stay above flood stage through Friday in St. Joseph with a crest of near 26 feet on Tuesday.

The Platte River rose above 27 feet Sunday at Agency, Mo., and was expected to crest overnight, eventually falling below flood stage by Wednesday. Waters from the 102 River flooded farmland and soccer fields on St. Joseph’s east edge, but the river also was expected to return to normal levels early this week.

In addition to rain, the storm brought strong winds that downed power lines across the area. The weather service measured wind speeds of up to 76 mph at Rosecrans Memorial Airport.

Emergency personnel responded to power outages throughout St. Joseph following the storm. Aquila officials did not return phone calls requesting information about the extent of the damage.

Business reporter Clinton Thomas can be reached at clintonthomas@npgco.com.